Coleus inflames containers and beds
with a color range from bronze to
gold to purple and lime green.

Uncommon Greenery

As if green's foliar offerings weren't riches enough, leaf hues span the entire spectrum. Foliage artists can dabble in shades from the smoky black of mondo grass (Ophiopogon 'Nigrescens') and snake root (Cimicifuga racemosa) to the ghostly silver-white of Artemisia lactiflora and Eryngium. Purple, red, blue, silver, and golden foliage all supply pigments for composing vibrant garden masterpieces. Color-splattered leaves, such as those found in coleus and tovara, match almost any other leaf or flower color. Many plants also have contrasting leaf veins that coordinate with other foliage colors.

Every foliar hue has a special effect in the border. Green calms and soothes, which is why gardens designed mainly with greens offer welcome relief in urban settings and meditational refuges such as Japanese tea gardens. Blue and blue-green foliage, found in fescue and oat grass, create a cool and elegant link to other colors in a garden. Blue leaves mixed with purple-leaf plants and magenta flowers look spectacular.

Related Feature: Purple Passion Container Garden Design

 

Oxalis, or wood sorrel, oak fern,
and Heuchera 'Palace Purple'
create a subtle symphony of color.

Purple and burgundy foliage anchor garden borders, giving them solidity. The warm reds in coleus, maple trees, and ornamental grasses such as miscanthus raise the pulse of foliar compositions with excitement and drama. Yellows have the same uplifting effect as sunshine in the border.

Gray and silvery gray foliage play magic leaf tricks. Although gray is a neutral mix of other colors, it reflects tints of complementary color partners. Next to red, it becomes slightly green. Paired with violet, it appears yellowed. Grays placed near orange have a blue tinge.